STROUD TOWNSHIP – Leap year means there’s one extra day in the year 2016. But does that mean you earn more or you worked for free on Leap Day?
Newswatch 16 talked with an expert to find the answer.
February 29, it only comes around every four years. Some workers believe if you earn a salary instead of hourly pay, you’re essentially working one day this leap year for free.
"I think you should stay home you don't get paid for it anyways. No, I'm just kidding. You have to go to work. I think a lot of people look at it that way. They're not getting paid anyway,” said Judy Sabia of Dunmore.
Accounting experts near Stroudsburg say salaries won’t increase when there’s 366 days to a year instead of the normal 365.
“But basically, it's like, yeah they're working one extra day and they're not really getting paid for it, but you have to be careful here. Salaried people can also not put in a full week and get paid for it,” said Paul Conforti, CPA.
What might be a hot-button issue for some didn’t raise any red flags for Scott Ahlun of Orefield who earns a salary instead of an hourly rate.
"Actually, I've never even really thought about it. This is the first time I've even thought about having an extra day and how it affects salary,” said Ahlun.
Paul Conforti at Riley and Company says anyone who works an hourly job would see a small boost in pay.
“They're actually getting paid one more day for the year. Are they going to really see that? Nah,” said Conforti.
If you are self-employed like Manny Gonzales of East Stroudsburg, an extra day is just an extra day.
"An extra day's worth of work, you know, so we tend to take advantage of that,” said Gonzalez.
Not to worry, leap day doesn’t always fall during the work week. Leap day in 2020 happens to fall on a Saturday!